Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey

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Cherry Hill Township
Location of Cherry Hill Township in Camden County
Coordinates: 39°55′39″N, 75°1′24″W
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Camden
Founded	1844 (as Delaware Township)
Mayor	Bernard A. Platt
Area
- City	63.1 km²  (24.4 sq mi)
- Land	62.8 km²  (24.2 sq mi)
Elevation	15 m
Population
- City (2000)	69,967
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Website: http://www.cherryhill-nj.com

Cherry Hill Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 69,965, making it the fourteenth-largest municipality in New Jersey and the sixth-largest in the Delaware Valley, South Jersey's densely-populated core outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In their 2006 survey, Cherry Hill was named the 47th Best Place to Live by CNN Money^[1] and was ranked 8th safest place to live in this same survey^[2].

Contents 1 History 1.1 Origin of the name "Cherry Hill" 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Government 4.1 Local government 4.2 Federal, state and county representation 5 Education 5.1 Public Schools 5.2 Private Schools 5.3 Colleges and universities 6 Transportation 7 Noted residents, past and present 8 Miscellaneous information 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

The area now known as Cherry Hill was originally settled by the Lenni-Lenape Native Americans who coexisted peacefully with the first settlers from Britain, Quaker followers of William Penn who arrived in the late 1600s. The first settlement was a small cluster of homes named Colestown, in the perimeters of what is now the Colestown Cemetery on the corner of Route 41, King's Highway and Church Road. The municipality was founded on February 25, 1844, as Delaware Township from half of the area of Waterford Township.

The township underwent explosive growth in the post-World War II era, with continued population growth through the 1980s. Today, the municipality's population remains stable with new development generally occurring in small pockets of custom luxury homes, low-income housing, or through the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of existing commercial and industrial areas.

[edit] Origin of the name "Cherry Hill"

Delaware Township was renamed Cherry Hill Township on November 7, 1961. The name Cherry Hill was chosen by the township's citizens in a non-binding referendum earlier in 1961. Cherry Hill had been the name of Abraham Browning's farm on Route 38 opposite the site where the Cherry Hill Mall would be built. The farm property was approximately what became Eugene Mori's Cherry Hill Inn and is now an AMC-Loews movie theater complex.

Mori, the largest developer in the town from the 1940s to the '60s, used the Cherry Hill name on many of his properties- the Cherry Hill Inn, Cherry Hill Apartments (now renovated as the Cherry Hill Towers), and the Cherry Hill Estates housing development. Thus, it has been suggested he had a vested interest in getting the town named Cherry Hill.

The reason the town needed a new name was that it wanted its own post office and there were other places in New Jersey named Delaware, New Jersey. The postal service suggested the name change, and Mayors Christian Weber and John Gilmour, whose administrations came during the renaming decision, agreed.

While the municipality's naming chronologically followed the similar naming of numerous landmarks, it has not been shown conclusively that the town was directly named after any particular place.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 63.1 km² (24.4 mi²). 62.8 km² (24.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.45%) is water.

Seven census-designated places or unincorporated areas are located within the township: Ashland, Barclay-Kingston, Cherry Hill Mall, Erlton-Ellisburg, Golden Triangle, Greentree and Springdale.

Cherry Hill's eastern border with Burlington County is defined by the Pennsauken Creek. The creek separates Cherry Hill from the communities of Maple Shade Township, Evesham Township (or coloquially, 'Marlton'), and Mount Laurel Township.

The Cooper River forms the western border with Haddon Township, Haddonfield Borough, and Lawnside Borough.

To the north, Cherry Hill borders Merchantville Borough and Pennsauken Township, while Voorhees Township shares its southern border.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 69,965 people, 26,227 households, and 19,407 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,114.0/km² (2,884.9/mi²). There were 27,074 housing units at an average density of 431.1/km² (1,116.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 84.67% White, 8.87% Asian, 4.46% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.54% of the population.

There were 26,227 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the township the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $69,421, and the median income for a family was $80,766. Males had a median income of $54,894 versus $37,282 for females. The per capita income for the township was $32,658. About 2.5% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

Created as Delaware Township in 1844, the community was first governed by a Township Committee. On May 19, 1951, the citizens adopted, in a special election, a Walsh Act Commission form of government, consisting of a three-member Board of Commissioners. In 1962, the Township's population passed the 30,000 mark and two additional Commissioners were elected. Following a study made by a Citizen's Advisory Committee, a special election was held in 1962.

The Township voted to change its form of government to the Council-Manager Plan A under the Faulkner Act. Five Council members were elected at-large in a May election to serve concurrent four-year terms. The Council members elected one of their own as Mayor, but a Township Manager served as the Chief Administrator of the Township.

By 1975, after a Charter Study Commission report, Cherry Hill was ready for another change. After a ballot referendum, the citizens adopted the Council-Manager Plan B form of government. Two features of the government were changed: council members were to be elected every two years for overlapping terms of four years and the number of Council members would increase from five to seven.

After a 1981 referendum, the government changed yet again, this time to a Mayor-Council Plan B form of government. A full-time 'strong' mayor was elected directly by the people and seven Council members were elected at-large for staggered four-year terms.

The most recent change, resulting from a ballot referendum in November of 1986, changed the elections from a non-partisan May election to a partisan November election.

The current Mayor of Cherry Hill is Bernard A. Platt (D). Members of the Township Council are (all Democrats) Council President N. John Amato (term ends December 31, 2008), Council Vice President Frank Falcone (2010), Shelley Adler (2010, married to New Jersey State Senator John H. Adler), Dennis Garbowski (2007; appointed to fill an unexpired term), Marlyn Kalitan (2008), Joyce Kurzweil (2010) and Steve Polansky (2010)^[3].

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Cherry Hill Township is in the Third Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 6th Legislative District^[4].

New Jersey's Third Congressional District, covering portions of Burlington County, Camden County and Ocean County, is represented by Jim Saxton (R, Mount Holly). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Robert Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 6th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by John H. Adler (D, Cherry Hill) and in the Assembly by Louis Greenwald (D, Voorhees) and Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D, Cherry Hill). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Camden County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Camden County's Freeholders are: Louis Cappelli, Jr. (Freeholder Director), Edward McDonnell (Freeholder Deputy Director), Riletta L. Cream, Thomas J. Gurick, Jeffrey L. Nash, Joseph Ripa and Carmen Rodriguez.

[edit] Education

[edit] Public Schools

The Cherry Hill Public Schools system is made up of 19 schools: an early childhood center, twelve elementary schools, two junior high schools, an alternative magnet middle school, two traditional high schools, and an alternative high school program. It is the twelfth-largest school district in the state of New Jersey and one of the largest suburban districts. This year, the district will top 11,800 students and enrollments continue to grow. The district has grown by about 2,000 students in the last 12 years. The system has 1,400 employees, including 1,000+ teachers.

For the 2001-02 school year, Cherry Hill High School East received the Blue Ribbon Award from the U.S. Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve^[5]. Three of the district's schools have been named as "Star Schools" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve: Cherry Hill High School East (1999-2000)^[6], Thomas Paine Elementary School (2002-03)^[7] and Clara Barton Elementary School (2003-04)^[8]. Also, Cherry Hill High School West began housing an optional curriculum rivaling the national AP program, the International Baccalaureate Program in 2001. In addition, three students were accepted to the Governor's School of New Jersey, and the district has five Best Practices Award Winners. SAT scores far exceed state and national averages. In 2005, the graduation rate was nearly 100% and more than 97% of graduates are continuing their education at two- or four-year colleges.

[edit] Private Schools

Camden Catholic High School, located on Cuthbert Boulevard at Route 38, is run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.

The King's Christian School, located on Carnegie Plaza off Springdale Road, is a private Christian fully-accredited PreK-12 institution founded as the Christian Day School of Camden County in 1946.

Kellman Academy located on Chapel Avenue is a private Jewish day school serving children aged 3 through 8th grade. The school was founded in 1959 in association with Congregation Beth El.

Politz Day School located on Cooper Landing Road is a private Judaic school serving early childhood through middle school students. The school is co-located with and supported by Congregation Sons of Israel.

Baptist Regional School on Springdale Road is a private Christian school on two campuses, grades K-6 in Cherry Hill, and grades 7-12 in Haddon Heights, New Jersey. The schools were founded and supported by Bethel Baptist Church (Cherry Hill) and Haddon Heights Baptist Church.

[edit] Colleges and universities

Camden County College operates a campus at the William G. Rohrer Center, State Route 70 and Springdale Road.

[edit] Transportation

The New Jersey Turnpike passes through Cherry Hill Township. The Walt Whitman rest area (southbound at milepost 30.2) is located in the township. ^[9] However, there are no entrances to the turnpike within the township.

Interstate 295 has three exits in the township. Exit 34A/B is Route 70 (Marlton Pike); exit 32 is CR 561 (Haddonfield-Berlin Rd.); and exit 31 goes directly to the Woodcrest station of the PATCO high-speed commuter rail line, which travels from 15-16th & Locust Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Lindenwold.

Several New Jersey Transit bus routes also pass through or stop in the township. The NJT Atlantic City Line stops at the Cherry Hill station, located between the Garden State Pavilion shopping center and the newer development on the grounds of the former Garden State Racetrack.

[edit] Noted residents, past and present

• Muhammad Ali, former heavyweight boxing champion.
• Maurice Ascalon and David Ascalon, noted sculptors and co-founders of Ascalon Studios, and the contemporary industrial designer Brad Ascalon.
• Brian Baldinger, former National Football League player and television sportscaster.
• Lawrence Bender, Academy Award-winning film and television producer whose credits include Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Good Will Hunting. Attended Cherry Hill High School East.
• Mike Bibby, National Basketball Association basketball player who now plays for the Sacramento Kings
• Jim Bunning, former major league baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies and current United States Senator from Kentucky.
• Sarah Chang, violinist.
• Bobby Clarke, former hockey player and former general manager for the Philadelphia Flyers, three-time NHL Hart Memorial Trophy winner, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
• Randall Cunningham, former quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Andrea Dworkin, feminist and writer.
• Hank Eskin, founder and creator of the popular Where's George? currency tracking website. Attended Cherry Hill High School West
• Craig Harris, nationally published video game reviewer and one of the founding editors of entertainment website IGN.
• Orel Hershiser, former professional baseball pitcher, who attended Cherry Hill High School East.
• Billy Hunter, labor union official, NBA Players Association.
• Ali Larter, model and actress
• Toby Lightman, singer-songwriter and Atlantic Records recording artist.
• Amos Lee, singer-songwriter.
• Donovan McNabb, professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles.
• Anurag Mehta, Indian-American filmmaker.
• George Norcross III, local Democratic party political leader and chief executive of Commerce National Insurance.
• Vince Papale, former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles. Papale was the oldest non-kicker rookie in the NFL and the inspiration for the 2006 film, Invincible.
• Ron Rivera, former Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears linebacker. Worked as the Linebacker Coach for the Philadelphia Eagles before going back to the Chicago Bears as their Defensive Coordinator.
• "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, professional wrestler, first World Wide Wrestling Federation World Heavyweight Champion, first man to hold both the World Wide Wrestling Federation and National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championships
• Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violinist
• Stephen A. Smith, Journalist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and ESPN television personality.
• Jerry Stackhouse, National Basketball Association basketball player who now plays for the Dallas Mavericks.
• Scott Storch, a well-known producer and keyboardist who has written for many artists.
• Miggy de Leon, former International Hapkido World Fighting champion.
• Sergio Pelaez former International Hapkido World Fighting contender, and trainer to Miggy de Leon.
• Laura Chalfin World renown hair stylist for celebrities such as Adam Brody, and Justin Timberlake.

[edit] Miscellaneous information

• Subaru of America and Commerce Bancorp are headquartered in Cherry Hill.
• The Cherry Hill Mall, a principal shopping center in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania metropolitan area, was the first enclosed shopping mall in the eastern United States.
• Cherry Hill was the scene of the Neulander murder.
• In the movie Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Cherry Hill is the location of the White Castle franchise. While no White Castle has ever existed in Cherry Hill, there was one located in neighboring Pennsauken Township that has since closed.
• In the movie The Freshman, Clark Kellogg (Matthew Broderick) is sent to Cherry Hill to deliver a Komodo dragon.
• In 1973-1974, Cherry Hill briefly had a WHA hockey team, the New Jersey Knights, and from 1964 to 1971, an Eastern Hockey League team, the Jersey Devils (unrelated to the present NHL New Jersey Devils). Both teams played at the Cherry Hill Arena.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Cherry Hill Township site
• Cherry Hill Public Schools
• Cherry Hill Public Schools's 2004-2005 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• National Center for Education Data statistics for the Cherry Hill Township Public Schools
• Cherry Hill Fire Department
• Cherry Hill Police Department
• Garden State Rotary of Cherry Hill, NJ
• Cherry Hill Online Newspaper (private)
• Topographic map at TopoZone

	Municipalities of Camden County, New Jersey (County Seat: Camden) This box: view • talk • edit
Boroughs	Audubon | Audubon Park | Barrington | Bellmawr | Berlin | Brooklawn | Chesilhurst | Clementon | Collingswood | Gibbsboro | Haddon Heights | Haddonfield | Hi-Nella | Laurel Springs | Lawnside | Lindenwold | Magnolia | Merchantville | Mount Ephraim | Oaklyn | Pine Hill | Pine Valley | Runnemede | Somerdale | Stratford | Tavistock | Woodlynne
Cities	Camden | Gloucester
Townships	Berlin | Cherry Hill | Gloucester | Haddon | Pennsauken | Voorhees | Waterford | Winslow
CDPs and other Communities	Ashland | Barclay-Kingston | Blackwood | Cherry Hill Mall | Echelon | Erlton-Ellisburg | Glendora | Golden Triangle | Greentree | Sicklerville | Springdale